Daddy Duty
by AllisonMitchel
Summary: "It's just for a few hours. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?" Naruto said nonchalantly and looked at Sasuke, noticing his attention wasn't on him, but overhead. "Naruto, your son is hanging naked from the ceiling fan." As if on cue, a small fireball erupted from somewhere in the corner, speeding through the air and barely missing Shikamaru's right ear. "What the f-!"
1. Mommies' night out

**Hello, everyone! I haven't posted here in YEARS. This story was more of an impulse than anything else while listening to a couple of ABBA songs (especifically "Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie, don't ask why, I don't know). There are a few key aspects I want to clarify for the readers before they start:**

 **1\. My native language is Spanish, not English, therefore there might be some grammar mistakes here and there. I apologize before hand. Feel free to let me know and I'll fix them.**

 **2\. Although I consider myself an avid Naruto fan I, sadly, have not watched the whole series. I'm currently juggling Boruto and Naruto Shippuden in order to get the most out of the background story, but I know most of the general details of the canon.**

 **3\. This story is sort of AU-ish, set after the war, before Naruto became Hokage. Many years ago, before Boruto was even slightly visible in the horizon, I came up with these OCs as what I imagined could be the future generation. The kids of this story are not Boruto and the gang, but those OCs. I don't feel like I have a good enough grasp of the Boruto characters yet, the anime being only 28 episodes until now, so I'm using my own. Also, I wanted to point out that I wanted Sasuke with both arms here, so let's just say he has his prosthetic, just like Naruto. And Shikamaru is with Ino instead of Temari, for the OCs sake.**

 **That's about all. I hope you enjoy this first chapter! :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. The OCs, though, are all mine.**

 _ **OoO**_

 **Title:** Daddy Duty

 **Complete summary:** _"It's just for a few hours. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?" Naruto said nonchalantly and looked at Sasuke, noticing his attention wasn't on him, but overhead. "Naruto, your son is hanging naked from the ceiling fan." As if on cue, a small fireball erupted from somewhere in the corner, speeding through the air and barely missing Shikamaru's right ear. "What the f-?! What are you teaching your daughter?!" he exclaimed at Sasuke, losing his cool, his weary eyes on the little black-haired demon spawn staring at him like she was up to no good. 'At least my daughter knows how to behave' the lazy genuis thought, glancing at the sofa where the two-year-old was sitting…only to find she wasn't there anymore. 'Oh, man…'_

 **Rating:** T (for now)

 **Characters:** Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata, Shikamaru/Ino. The story mainly focuses on the males and their kids.

 _ **OoO**_

 _'_ _Okay, let's check one last time.'_

The last rays of sunlight shone through the thin window curtain. It was almost six o' clock on a Friday night, but not just any Friday night. Today just so happened to be the day that Megumi, an intern from the Konoha hospital, would have her bachelorette party. Working at the hospital, she had been under the direct tutelage of Sakura Haruno, so it was only natural that a close friendship had formed between the women, and, subsequently, with the rest of the girls in the close knitted circle of friends of the pink haired medic. Tonight, one of the finest hotels in the Village Hidden in the Leaf would see that the last day of freedom of Megumi would be a blast, and Sakura, Ino, and Hinata were invited to the festivities.

Sakura was ready just in time: she had decided on a red bodycon dress with short sleeves that covered her chest up to her clavicles and exposed her back in a beautiful "v" cut. Her medium length hair was down and curled slightly, her makeup simple yet appropriate for the occasion. After making sure everything was in place with her outfit, the kunoichi proceeded to examine the objects laying in the bed in front of her one last time, just to make sure nothing was being left out. Just as she was about to start, a screech erupted from the hallway.

"MOMMY!"

Sakura barely had time to turn around when a crying mop of black tresses leaped into her arms. Maternal instincts kicked in faster than she could blink.

"Sayuki, what happened?! Are you hurt?!" she asked the crying toddler, examining her small body for any sign of injury. The little girl just kept crying, jade eyes wet with tears, her small frame shuddering with every wail. Between sobs, Sakura made out two words: "Tachi" and "Gwiggls".

Realization dawned into her, a sigh of relief escaping her lips. Her daughter wasn't hurt, not physically anyway.

"It's okay, sweetie. Don't cry." she cooed to no avail as the tantrum continued.

Fixing Sayuki in her arms to better carry her, Sakura exited the room and crossed the hallway to the last door on the left and knocked softly. Not a second after, the door opened just an inch, revealing the face of a little boy with black hair and dark eyes, his expression a mix of concern and guilt.

"Itachi, how many times have we told you not to take Sayuki's toys, especially Mr. Giggles?" Sakura asked with her free arm on her hip, eying her son. The five-year-old opened the door completely, the sight of the fluffy blue slug on his hand instantly ceasing his sister's cries. Her small hands reached forward.

"Mistwe Gwiggls!"

Itachi didn't move. He stared at the toddler and held the toy even tighter. Noticing his reluctance to give it back, Sayuki pouted, just about ready to start screeching again.

"Itachi." said a stern voice behind Sakura.

She turned around to see her husband standing in the hallway, arms crossed over his broad chest, his eyes locked on the boy. He wore a black long-sleeved shirt and black pants. Itachi's eyes widened, suddenly frightened at the look his father was giving him with those mismatched eyes.

"B-but, Dad, she burned my wooden kunai!"

Sasuke and Sakura exchanged a look, to later glance at the little girl in Sakura's arms.

"Tachi! Mistwe Gwiggls! NOW!" she cried, her voice rising and octave with each word.

Itachi looked from his Mom to his Dad, pleading for back up. Finally, Sakura sighed and stretched her arm to the little boy. Reluctantly, he handed over the slug, his head hanging down in defeat. The kunoichi kneeled in front of him, placing her daughter down beside her (who lost no time in snatching the toy back), and placed her hand on the boy's head lovingly.

"I'm sure your sister didn't mean to…" she gave a quick glance to her husband. "… burn... your kunai."

"But she did, Mom! She burned it to a crisp!" exclaimed an exasperated Itachi as he watched the girl plop down on the floor and start to play with the slug.

Just as Sakura was about to retort that there was no way a two-year-old would be able to use a fire style jutsu yet, the doorbell rang.

"Uncwl Nawuto!" exclaimed Sayuki and rushed down the hallway, her chubby legs padding silently on the wooden floor.

Itachi looked after her, an annoyed expression on his face. Sakura couldn't help the giggle that escaped her at watching her son's adorable expression.

"We'll talk about this later, okay? Now, go greet uncle Naruto." she said and placed a kiss on the top of his head. He grumbled something sounding like "fine" and walked down the hall, following his sister with slow and dragged steps.

Sakura stood upright, watching Itachi disappear down the stairs. The moment he was gone, a look of concern washed over her features and she turned to her husband, who was already looking at her.

"Do you think it's true?" she asked.

"It's not likely." said Sasuke as he started down the hall with his wife walking by his side. "She shouldn't be able to do any jutsu like that yet."

"I know, it's not like any of us is teaching her… but still, this isn't the first time Itachi's said something like this."

Sasuke pondered on this for a moment. Just a few months ago, his son had also made a similar accusation: Sayuki had gotten mad for losing to him in a board game and burned the game pieces. He and Sakura had searched every inch of his room for the ashes, but never found them, and discarded the incident as their son attempting to reclaim some of the undivided attention he used to have when he was an only child. Now, though, Sasuke had to wonder, because he knew his son couldn't lie if his life depended on it, something he, as a father, was very proud of. As a shinobi, well, it could use some work.

"Hey, Sasuke! Sakura! How's it going?"

"Good evening, Sakura, Sasuke."

Itachi and Sayuki had already opened the front door and invited their visitors inside. Naruto was standing in the door frame with a grin on his face. He wore an orange t-shirt and some black pants, holding a sleeping toddler in his arms with a onesie the same orange shade as his Dad's shirt. Hinata, on the other hand, wore a blue dress that reached her knees, her hair up in a loose bun, and was currently giving Sakura a friendly hug, Sayuki holding onto the latter's leg. Itachi was standing in front of Naruto, looking curiously at the boy in his arms, the supposedly burned kunai forgotten for the time being.

"It's so good to see you." said Sakura and motioned them to come inside. "Do you want anything to drink?"

"Water would be nice." Hinata said softly and turned to Naruto, her hands motioning for the baby supplies' bag dangling from his arm. The blonde handed it with a sigh of relief, as he was balancing both the boy and the heavy bag, most likely trying to act the gentleman with his wife.

The women disappeared into the kitchen, the Uchiha toddler on tow. Itachi stayed back and gave Naruto a high five when the blonde held his hand up to the boy.

"Well, look at you! You've gotten taller, almost as tall as uncle Naruto!" said Naruto as he ruffled the boy's ebony locks, earning a grin with a missing tooth from his nephew.

"Hopefully, he won't take after your intellect." interjected Sasuke.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" the blonde shouted back, earning a satisfied smirk from the Sharingan user at having successfully riled up the Jinchuriki.

"You guys can be such a drag."

Both men turned to the door to find three newcomers. The lazy genius, who had spoken, leaned at the doorframe wearing his usual Jonin attire, minus the flak jacket, a seemingly heavy purple bag hanging over his shoulder. The blonde woman beside him just shook her head, her long ponytail waving from the movement, and walked inside, her daughter holding onto her short purple dress. A pacifier the same purple shade as her onesie was being sucked lightly in the toddler's mouth.

"Ino! Shikamaru!" said Sakura, her head popping from the kitchen door.

Shikamaru merely waved hello as Ino walked over to the kitchen after having greeted the other two men. On the way, the small girl detached herself from her mother and turned to Itachi. Sasuke noticed how his son's cheeks turned a light shade of pink as the brunette toddler stared at him. The girl then walked over to him and gave him a hug, leaving the young Uchiha startled and unable to move.

"She does that to everyone now. Ino's been teaching her how to be nice to other kids." said Shikamaru. As if on cue, the toddler unwrapped her hands from Itachi and took out her pacifier.

"Itachi, friend." she said, her pronunciation impeccable, and turned to Sasuke, her arms outstretched. The Uchiha proceeded to carry her, receiving a hug as well.

"She's so cute, Shikamaru." Naruto said as the girl stared at him with her piercing blue eyes, just like Ino's.

"Yeah, she is." said Shikamaru, pride laced to his usual lazy tone. "She's a little shy, though."

"Are you sure she's not just a tiny bit lazy, like you?" snickered Naruto, the brunette girl still staring at him.

"She'll come through with time." said Sasuke, Shikamaru's daughter now looking at him curiously. "Sayuki was like that until we put her in the day care and she started making friends."

As if on cue, the raven-haired toddler came back to the room, the blue slug hugged in her arms. Her brother, suddenly remembering the past argument about Mr. Giggles, frowned slightly at her. Sasuke was sure his daughter saw Itachi's expression, but she ignored him like a true Uchiha would, not even batting an eyelash. Sometimes, he found it rather unsettling how much of himself he saw in her.

"Are you sure it should be called 'making friends', Sasuke?" Naruto interjected. "I heard she threatened a boy with a wooden chair because he pushed her."

Sayuki was now eyeing Naruto with a look very similar to the one Sakura used to give him to warn him that he was talking a little too much. Sasuke simply shrugged.

"My daughter can defend herself if she wishes." he said. The youngest Uchiha beamed at her Dad and sent a tiny, almost unnoticeable prepotent glance in Naruto's direction. Shikamaru did notice, though, as observant as he was.

"That's scary." he simply said.

A yawn made the men turn to the small boy in Naruto's arms, His blue eyes opened groggily and he stared at his father. Suddenly recognizing him, he grabbed a fistful of the blonde's hair and pulled.

"Papa." he said.

"Hey there, little one. You had a good nap?" Naruto asked his son. The boy nodded and pulled just a little harder on the blonde locks, making Naruto wince and laugh at his son's antics.

Sasuke and Shikamaru stared at the scene. The Uchiha couldn't help but feel intrigued by the way Naruto had so seamlessly slipped into parenthood. Of all the people he knew, his best friend was the one he had thought would have it the toughest, with him being so clumsy and hard-headed. Then again, if someone like himself had survived two kids without screaming bloody murder, there wasn't a reason why Naruto couldn't handle one.

Little did he know, the three women in the kitchen were wondering the same thing.

"…And when I came back from the hospital, everything was just fine. I would've never guessed Sayuki projectile-vomited all over the carpet. I tell you, one look at that carpet, and it's like it was never there." Sakura said and took a sip of her sake.

"I would've killed to see the look on Sasuke's face realizing he had to clean that mess up." Ino chuckled, a glass of red wine balancing between her fingers. "How about you, Hinata? How's Naruto coming through with the whole parenting thing?"

"There was that time I was sick and Naruto had to take care of me and Kenji. The little one was just starting to walk. He spent more time on the floor crying than anything else, but Naruto somehow managed without my help." said Hinata, her elbows resting on the isle in the center of the kitchen.

"That's nothing! You two should've seen Shikamaru that time I had to do a double-shift at the flower shop and he had to take Asuna to her day care. The other mommies told me the kids just went crazy over him and tackled him down. Can you imagine Shikamaru and his lazy ass being attacked by a pack of toddlers?" said Ino and the three friends snickered lowly so their voices wouldn't reach their husbands.

Sakura couldn't help but smile at all the anecdotes. Naruto, Sasuke, and Shikamaru had gone from being a bunch of bratty kids, to war heroes, and now extraordinary parents. She couldn't be prouder of them. There was no doubt in her mind that their children would grow up to be extraordinary ninja, just like them.

"Well, ladies, I think our time is up." Ino said, her eyes scanning the clock on the kitchen wall. Sakura and Hinata did the same.

"You're right, we should be going." said the pink haired kunoichi, taking the glasses over to the sink as the other women stood up to fetch their kids and husbands.

She was about to clean the last glass when a pair of hands took it from her and started washing it instead. She looked up to see Sasuke by her side. A smile made its way to her lips. There was something special about watching The Uchiha do mundane tasks like these and she was sure she would never grow tired of it. When he was done, he turned to her and bend forward to plan a chaste kiss on her forehead. She smiled at the small gesture of affection and reached her hand up to tuck away a stray hair from his face.

"Are you sure you guys will be okay?" she asked, a sudden concern laced in her voice.

Sasuke merely looked at her and gave a small nod.

"I mean, it's the first time you will babysit the kids alone, a whole night. We'll be back as soon as we can, okay? And remember to call me if anything happens. I left everything important on the bed an-… Darn it! I forgot to double-check! I'll just go a few minutes and make sur-"

She was cut off by Sasuke's lips on her's. Her rant instantly ceased as she closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss. A sudden urge she knew too well rose to the surface as she held onto him. They've both been so busy lately, with the kids, the hospital, missions and whatnot, that she couldn't remember the last time they made love aside of a quickie here and there. She could feel her skin burning where he touched her, his hands reaching slowly down her back. Just as she felt she couldn't take it anymore, Sasuke broke the kiss, panting slightly, just as she was.

"Go. We'll be fine." he said.

Sakura knew he was right, but she couldn't help but feel a pang of uncertainty. If there was anybody capable of taking care of a bunch of toddlers, it was those three. After all, it's not like babysitting four kids would be worse than, say, fighting the Akatsuki, or Kaguya. She decided to place her uncertainty to the detachment from her kids in the next hours.

"Okay, let me get my purse." Sakura said and headed upstairs.

Back in the living room, Ino and Hinata were saying their goodbyes to their children and their husbands.

"Remember everything Mommy taught you about being nice, okay, Asuna?" Ino said as she kneeled in front of the toddler. The girl, pacifier back in her mouth, nodded and gave her mother a hug, which she returned.

"Kenji, you be a good boy, okay? And be good with Daddy." said Hinata as she kissed the top of the boy's blonde head. He looked up like he was holding back tears. Naruto was quick to notice and scooped him up in his arms before his son could figure out the fact that his mother was leaving.

Itachi made his way over to Sakura and gave her a hug, barely reaching her waist. She smiled and kneeled as Sayuki made her way over to them, Mr. Giggles still in her hands.

"Itachi, take care of Sayuki, and help uncle Naruto and uncle Shikamaru if they need it. Remember, you're a big boy now and Daddy and I are counting on you." the boy nodded with determination, as if he was just given an S-Rank mission and not just instructions from his mother. She turned to the girl beside him, the little one's eyes glassy with unshed tears. "You be good too, Sayuki. Play nice with your brother, okay? No fighting or burning down anything."

Even if that last part was just to see if she could get any slice of the truth out of the three-year-old, the girl remained impassive, but Sasuke noticed from afar how her jade eyes glanced at her brother and narrowed slightly, a gesture that was gone as soon as it came.

"Okay, we're rolling out now or we'll be late." said Ino as she went up to Shikamaru and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. He smiled at her and turned to pick up Asuna, who was holding her tiny arms up to him.

Naruto gave Hinata a quick kiss and told her to have fun, a comment to which the girl nodded with a faint blush on her cheeks. He grinned at her, Kenji pulling softly at his hair again.

Sakura was the last to say goodbye, giving Sasuke a peck on the cheek. She knew he was still somewhat reluctant to show much affection in front of others, and she respected that. Their bedroom was a whole other story, so she didn't complain.

"Bye!"

"Goodnight!"

"Take care!"

And just like that, the front door of the Uchiha household closed, leaving the three legendary ninja standing in the living room, looking at the four kids, who stared right back. It was roughly six-forty-five at night, and the girls would not be coming back for at least the next eight hours, if not the next morning.

"I guess it's dinner time now. Man, I'm starving!" exclaimed Naruto and started to make his way to the kitchen. "You hungry, Kenji?"

Naruto was too preoccupied with telling his son how he would make him some delicious ramen so he would grow to be just as strong as his Papa. He didn't notice that, when Kenji laughed and pulled at his hair again, a tiny spark of chakra appeared on the boy's fingers, therefore making the hair-pulling stronger. He, also, didn't notice how Asuna started glancing everywhere in the vicinity, a look more of assessment than of mere childish curiosity, just like Shikamaru used to do when he was drafting out a strategy in the battlefield. And, last but certainly not least, he didn't notice the way Itachi seemed to cling closer to Sasuke as they made their way behind the blonde, his eyes glued to his sister as the toddler walked in tow on her father's other side, the expression on her face a little more serious and calculating than just the mere annoyance of a three-year-old with her big brother.

Sasuke and Shikamaru were more observant that the Jinchuriki, and they noticed. With a frown on their faces, they looked at each other, silently deciding that it was probably their minds playing tricks on them because they were hungry. They knew these kinds were smart, what with the genes they carried. But purposeful chakra bursts? Assessing the environment? Calculating, what, attack maneuvers? That was an overstatement, surely. The three ninja crossed the kitchen door, completely ignorant to the events that would unfold that night.

 _ **OoO**_

 **Thank you so much for reading! Please, read and review. I'll be posting the next chapter soon. Bye!**


	2. Cooking lessons

**Hi, everyone! Here's the second chapter to the story. Hope you enjoy it!**

 **OoO**

"What do you mean you don't have ramen?!"

"We don't feed our kids that garbage."

"How dare you call it garbage?! Ramen is a very nutritional meal!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, his expression hidden behind the fridge door. There was no use in following this argument, Naruto would just keep pushing and pushing until he won. He had tried to make Sakura buy at least a few packages of the noodle soup in the past, in case of an emergency, not necessarily to his liking, but useful nevertheless. She had outright refused, saying there was no way that thing was making its way into their house. This was most likely due to the fact that every time Naruto invited them out it was to Ichiraku, even though now they could afford something better and healthier.

"Our kids will grow with healthy, homecooked meals." she had said, and proceeded to list all the benefits of this decision. Agreeing with his wife, that had been the last mention of buying ramen in their house.

"But Sasuke, Kenji likes his ramen!" Naruto whined.

Sasuke glanced at the two-year-old, who was sitting on the kitchen floor, playing with what looked like a fox toy, seemingly unfazed by his father's pleas. He was sure the whole ramen argument had more to do with Naruto's appetite than his little boy's.

"Naruto, if there's no ramen, there's no ramen. We'll go with whatever Sasuke has, right Asuna?" asked Shikamaru from his place on one of the isle stools. His daughter looked up at him from the floor beside the youngest Uchiha, pacifier still in place, and nodded, before going back to listening to whatever gibberish Sayiku was telling her, Mr. Giggles secured on her lap.

"Aww, man! Fine." Naruto said in defeat, missing the triumphant smirks on his friends' faces. "What are we making then, Sasuke?"

The Uchiha's mismatched orbs eyed the contents in the fridge, which was thankfully stacked. There had to be something there that would be to everyone's liking. Feeling a sudden tug on his pants' leg, he looked down to find his son staring at him, a small, thick book in his hands.

"Dad, use this." Itachi said, handing him the book. Sasuke realized it was Sakura's recipe book.

If there was something he loved about his wife, it was her resilience. Just a few weeks into their marriage, Sasuke discovered that even though Sakura was always eager to feed him with the healthiest homemade meals, her cooking just tasted awful. He had tried many times to keep it down, to no avail. Thinking he might have to starve to death, since his cooking skills were good but limited, he addressed the issue. She had been embarrassed and had refused to even enter the kitchen for a few days, forcing them to eat out. One night, though, he had discovered her happily making dinner when he came back from a mission, the recipe book by her side. With the years, her cooking had improved, even to the point of adding several of her own recipes to the stash. Now, they barely ate out, all thanks to the miraculous book.

Taking the object from his son's hands, he opened it and examined some of the pages along with the contents of the refrigerator.

"Daddy!"

A pair of piercing, big jade eyes stared at him, small hands outstretched, signaling for the book. Sasuke kneeled and opened the book in front of his daughter, who started flipping the pages with a small frown, as if scrutinizing what was written in them. Of course, he knew she was just looking at the pictures, trying to find the most appealing.

"Chwiken! Chwiken, Daddy!" she said, her pudgy finger pointing at the picture of a chicken and veggie stir fry.

He easily recognized the recipe as his daughter's favorite. She had the tendency of pestering her mother about cooking it, be it eight in the morning or four in the afternoon, it didn't matter. This was an excellent choice, Sasuke thought to himself, since it had protein and veggies in it. Giving a loving flick of the nose to the toddler, he stood upright and placed the book on the counter, motioning for Naruto and Shikamaru's help.

A few minutes later, the three shinobi were busy at each of their tasks: Sasuke seasoning the chicken, Shikamaru chopping the veggies, and Naruto making the rice in the slow cooker. The children were quite calm, each to their own business in the kitchen. Sayuki was leaning on the counter next to Shikamaru, talking to Mr. Giggles while Kenji sat next to her looking as if he wanted to join the conversation along with his fox toy, but was unsure of how to approach the Uchiha heiress. Asuna walked from Sasuke to her father, spending a few minutes beside each of them, examining what they were doing as if she was learning how to cook. Lastly, Itachi was standing beside Naruto, making good of what his mother had told him, and helping the blonde to make the rice.

"It's great Sakura had this recipe book. I don't think we could've managed." said Naruto as he measured the rice in a cup, Itachi letting him know when it was enough.

"Speak for yourself, Naruto." remarked the lazy genius as he chopped some carrots. "Some of us can actually make more than just ramen."

"Hey, I can cook! It's just easier when you have the instructions." retorted the blond.

"You read instructions?" asked Sasuke, sarcasm dripping from the question, as he lathered the chicken breasts in homemade seasoning.

"Of course I do!" he shouted and, in the heat of the moment, poured about two more cups of rice than the necessary into the cooker.

"Umm… Uncle Naruto, you poured too much." said Itachi, his eyes flicking from the paper with the measurements to the cooker's bowl.

"Wha-? Aww, dammit!" Naruto exclaimed as he began to take some of the rice out with the cup.

It was Asuna's voice, with her perfect pronunciation, what made the three adults snap their heads around, Shikamaru's eyes opening like saucers.

"Dammit." said the young Nara.

"W-what did you say?" questioned Shikamaru, not sure he had heard right.

Taking his father's baffled expression as encouragement for learning a new word, Asuna began jumping around, repeating the word over and over in a sing song voice.

"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!" she boasted.

Her sudden burst of energy elicited a chain reaction, Sayuki and Kenji quickly standing up and joining her in the wild frenzy all around the kitchen.

"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!" they screeched.

More than just seeing them, Naruto felt the death glares directed at him from the other shinobi. Shikamaru seemed distressed as he tried to get his daughter to calm down, whereas Sasuke looked just about ready to murder his best friend for teaching his daughter a dirty word. _'This is bad._ ' he thought, not entirely worried about what the males would do. He pictured the faces of Sakura, Ino, and Hinata when they came home and their children received them by boasting this knew knowledge. He visibly cringed and urged his son to calm down too. Suddenly, between the incessant chants of the children and the fathers' attempts to shush them, another word was heard.

"Kunai!"

Recognizing Sayuki's voice, Sasuke turned to her and his eyes widened. The two-year-old merely grinned at him, Mr. Giggles forgotten on the floor by her feet, a new object in her tiny hand. Quieting Asuna at last, Shikamaru sensed the change in Sasuke's stance and eyed the Uchiha's daughter.

"Sayuki." said Sasuke calmly and started taking slow, weary steps towards his daughter who had retreated to the kitchen door at the other side of the room, the cooking knife held firmly in her hand. "Give it back."

With all the ruckus from before and their attention elsewhere, Sayuki had managed to sneak behind Shikamaru and, with a stealth level worthy of an elite ninja, had taken the knife he was using to cut the vegetables without him noticing. She eyed the steel with fascination as she turned it over and over in her hand.

"Give what ba- Oh, my God! Sasuke, take that off her now!" Naruto's frightened voice sounded behind him as he grabbed Kenji and hugged him protectively to his chest.

"I'm trying, idiot!" Sasuke retorted through clenched teeth as he extended his hand to the toddler, his expression turning as soft as possible in order to coo the girl into giving him the knife back. "Sayuki, Daddy needs the cooking knife back."

"No cwooking. Fwight! Like Daddy!" she proclaimed and wielded the knife in the air as if she was slicing an invisible opponent. Sasuke felt his heart do a somersault.

"Sasuke, you're training her?! Are you crazy?!" asked Naruto, his eyes glued to the knife.

"Of course I'm not training her!" Sasuke retorted, glaring daggers at the blonde. "She's two."

Shikamaru, ever the quickest to decipher a situation, voiced the reason for the little girl's antics after scrutinizing her movements.

"You don't train her, but you let her watch you train." he explained, gaining the other ninjas' attention. "She doesn't move like someone who is trained to use a weapon. She's coping what she sees you do."

As if to encourage the theory, Sayuki took a stance, the cooking knife pointing directly at Naruto, her small mouth twisting into a crooked smirk identical to Sasuke's. "Idiot."

If it wasn't for the fact that his daughter seemed more than ready to slice and dice the future Hokage, Sasuke would've laughed. He didn't do laughing either, so, maybe just something very close. He'd heard what they said about daughters being closer to their fathers, but this was bordering otherworldly. Over the years, he had been able to map out the personalities of his children almost perfectly, something he had discussed with Sakura on several occasions to determine how their training should be imparted. Itachi had a gentle and caring nature, very similar to Sakura's. He was respectful and hard-working, always keen on learning new things and with a great interest for the work his mother did in the hospital. He would be starting in the academy soon and Sasuke was sure his son would be top of the class in no time, but without the egotistical and snobbish antics he himself had demonstrated when he was a student.

His second-born, on the other hand, was almost like a reflection of himself, something that both fascinated and unnerved him. He could see it in the little girl's eyes. There was a deep knowing, an understanding of the things that happened around her and how she fit with them. Sayuki was the tenacious one, the quick-learner, the one that knew just a few months after she was born that if she said "Dada" before asking for anything, she would get it. He had learned to identify when she cried out of real distress and when she was just manipulating a situation to her advantage. Also, she was not above throwing her brother under the bus if needed. At just two years old, and with her limited vocabulary, his daughter had a level of maturity within herself that astonished her parents to no end. Even without having developed the Sharingan yet, she had managed to copy his fighting stance almost perfectly from the times she had seen him and Naruto train.

Speaking of the Jinchuriki…

"SASUKE, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING JUST STANDING THERE? DO SOMETHING!" Naruto was panicking now, the young Uchiha holding him in place with her piercing eyes, the kunai pointed to his head without any sort of hesitation. He knew he had had to take more heed to the rumors surrounding the Uchiha heiress on her day care behavior. Now he understood why her classmates were so afraid of her.

"Sayuki." said Sasuke slowly, ignoring the blonde. "I'll let you have ice cream if you give me the kni-"

"KUNAI!" she stated loudly.

"The kunai back." Sasuke finished. Sakura wasn't a fan of giving the kids sweets, especially Sayuki, whose energy levels seemed to spark to maximum out of nowhere without the added sugar. He also knew how much of a weakness his daughter had for ice cream.

"Ice cream?" she asked, her eyes brightening.

Sasuke nodded and watched as she proceeded to hand over the deadly weapon. About an inch away from his hand, Itachi spoke from the other side of the room.

"See, Dad? I told you she was crazy."

Not even the Sharingan was fast enough to predict how, in a millisecond, the girl narrowed her eyes, turned around and, with a swift motion of her arm, threw the cooking knife in her brother's direction. What was even more baffling was that the boy dodged it with practiced ease, as if he had done it a thousand times before. The knife imbedded itself on the wall behind the boy.

"Lunatic." he said and crossed his arms.

Naruto and Shikamaru could only stare at the exchange, mouths agape. It was dizzying just how fast the tables had turned between the young Uchihas: Itachi had now a devious look on his face, like he knew he was up to no good, while Sayuki had gone from cold murderer to wailing toddler in less than a second.

"Not cwazy! Stwupid Tachi! Stwupid!" she cried in a high-pitched voice and ran over to Sasuke, burying her face in his shirt. "D-daddy, Tachi hwut me! Tachi stwupid!"

Sasuke made a mental note of buying something really nice for his wife the next time he was out, because he seriously had no idea how she had managed to deal with this the countless times he was out of the village during missions. His son had a small, triumphant smile on his face, knowing he had successfully made his sister snap; a smile that disappeared the moment Sasuke's eyes landed on his. Sayiku, on the other hand, was throwing an elaborate tantrum, chest heaving like a drowning sailor and eyes a waterfall of tears, the intention of seeking retribution for her brother's actions crystal clear.

Carrying the crying child, he opened the freezer and offered her a popsicle, silencing her for good. He ended up giving some to Asuna and Kenji as well, who happily sat down on the floor to eat them, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened just moments ago.

With the commotion finally over, the cooking was resumed, and later finished, without any incidents. As Sasuke, Naruto, and Shikamaru watched their children eat at the dinner table, they couldn't help but feel like it had been at least a couple of hours since their mothers left instead of just one.

"How do they do it? This is crazy." Naruto exclaimed, his eyes staring at the way Sayuki held her spoon, as if she would be trying to stab him with it any minute now.

"Without knives flying around, I'm sure." retorted Shikamaru before taking a big gulp of his sake.

"Sasuke, are they always like this? 'Cuz your girl looked really scary back there." Naruto asked the raven-haired man, his eyes showing a slight worry that what had transpired could be a normal occurrence in the Uchiha household.

Sasuke frowned. He knew his kids argued, just like any pair of siblings, but the way Itachi had dodged his sister's attack had him wondering just how deadly those arguments got when he and Sakura weren't looking. He decided he would have to keep his eyes more alert from now on.

"Papa."

Kenji had finished his meal and was now struggling to climb onto Naruto's lap.

"What is it, Kenji?" asked Naruto while helping the boy up.

"Papa, watch a movie." said the toddler.

A chorus suddenly erupted from the other children,

"Movie! Movie! Movie!"

"Well, what do you guys think?" asked Naruto to the fellow ninja.

"A movie might tire them out even more after dinner." pointed Shikamaru. "I say we go for it, early bedtime."

Sasuke nodded in agreement, sensing the other parents had also had enough excitement to last a month, at least. They would play a movie that could usher the kids to sleep and then they could spend the night without any more inconveniences, or flying knives.

As they made their way to the living room after cleaning the dishes, Sayuki reached him to walk beside him.

"Daddy." she called. When Sasuke looked at her, she had the same expression he had seen in her face the day he and Sakura had told her they were going to the park and, instead, took her to the hospital to get her vaccines. _'I know what you're doing.'_ is what it said. "No sleep." the words were clear as day.

As the toddler passed him and reached the living room, he caught Shikamaru staring at him, a frown in his face.

"I can practically hear the gears turning in that little head of hers." Said the lazy genius and Sasuke could not agree more.

The sooner they got those kids to sleep, the better.


End file.
